what i ate wednesday: issue 70

 Figure 1. Breakfast: puffed wheat + All Bran + cocoa powder + banana + milk.

Figure 2. Mid-morning treat: my first, ever Kombucha. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this!

Figure 3. Lunch: green smoothie in a bowl (spinach + banana + dark cocoa powder + almond milk + ice) alongside carrots and peanut butter.

Figure 4. Afternoon snack: vegetable chips from the Fresh Market.

Figure 5. Dinner: salad mania (spinach, fennel, grape tomatoes, raw zucchini, cottage cheese, sprouts, trail mix, parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, and agave nectar).

Figure 6. Dessert: chocolate....

And that concludes another What I Ate Wednesday (featuring what I ate Tuesday, February 27).

weekend review: fennel and beets

This weekend I cooked with two new (to me) ingredients: fennel and fresh beets. Both were easy and delicious - if you haven't worked with them yet - I encourage you to give these recipes a try.

Figure 1. Out of the oven: sausage, fennel, and ricotta pizza.

Figure 2. Friday night's dinner: sausage, fennel, and ricotta pizza and an arugula and mushroom salad.

Figure 3. Saturday afternoon baking: cranberry flaxseed muffins.

Figure 4. Out of the oven: turnip and sweet potato gratin. Holy freakin' crap this was amazing.

Figure 5. Saturday night's dinner: turnip and sweet potato gratin, maple-balsamic-glazed pork medallions, and steamed broccoli.

Figure 6. Out of the oven (this is one of my favorite healthy go-to dishes): baked vegetable ziti.

 Figure 7. Sunday night's dinner: baked vegetable ziti and beets with shallot vinaigrette on top of raw spinach. Delicious!

confessions of an imperfect perfectionist

Confession 1.

I carry around my Insanity DVDs in Ziplock bags. I literally toss them in my gym bag like this. It is a sheer miracle they haven't snapped in two by now...

Confession 2.

First, that I actually took the time to create a Wilson Phillips Pandora radio station. And second, that this is my number one choice of background music while cooking in the kitchen. Needless to say, my boyfriend goes in the other room.

what i ate wednesdsay: issue 69

 Figure 1. Breakfast: puffed wheat + All Bran + cocoa powder + banana + milk (I combined skim cow's milk and original almond milk).

Figure 2. Mid-morning snack (in the same bowl): Greek yogurt, honey puffed wheat, and peanut butter.

Figure 3. Lunch: green smoothie (spinach + banana + protein powder + cocoa powder + peanut butter + almond milk + ice).

Figure 4. Afternoon snack in my bag: apple + almonds + carrot stick.

Figure 5. Dinner: leftover quinoa casserole with roasted eggplant, grape tomatoes, and almonds.

Figure 6. Dessert: a chocolate truffle from my Valentines chocolate box.

And that concludes another What I Ate Wednesday (featuring what I ate Tuesday, February 19).

weekend review: simple favorites

Figure 1. Friday night's dinner: shrimp fettuccine alfredo alongside roasted asparagus and grape tomatoes. The boyfriend surprised me with this delicious dinner after a long day...

Figure 2. Saturday night's dinner: spinach and cheese quinoa casserole and a spinach salad with broccoli, tomatoes, craisins, avocado, and Gorgonzola cheese topped with a homemade maple vinaigrette.

what i ate wednesday: issue 68

 Figure 1. Breakfast: two slices of Ezekiel sprouted grains toast topped with peanut butter and banana.

Figure 2. Post-run morning snack: a banana from my stockpile. 

Figure 3. Lunch: chicken tikka masala from Trader Joe's eaten with my kiddie fork. So good and not completely full of gunk like most frozen meals.

Figure 4. Afternoon snack: an apple and almonds.

Figure 5. Dinner: leftover rice pilaf, roasted green beans, and a Quorn Chik'n Pattie dipped in ketchup.

Figure 6. Dessert: dry Fiber One chocolate cereal.

And that concludes another What I Ate Wednesday (featuring what I ate Tuesday, February 12).

phew...

weekend review: baking therapy

Figure 1. Friday night's dinner: Cooking Light's pasta puttanesca (this is one of my go-to recipes) and a spinach salad with homemade honey-Dijon dressing.

Saturday morning I couldn't focus on work and just wasn't feeling life. When all else fails, bake. Once I got in the kitchen I felt 100% revived...

Figure 2. Saturday morning baking: Amanda's chocolate chip oatmeal muffins.

Figure 3. More Saturday morning baking: cinnamon-roasted almonds.

Figure 4. Saturday night's dinner: simple pan-roasted salmon with crispy skin, lemon pepper steamed broccoli, and roasted sweet potato apple mash.

Figure 5. Sunday night's dinner: crispy honey lemon chicken, rice pilaf, and roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, garlic, and shallots. This chicken was good and I burnt it - I can only imagine how delicious it would be if I didn't...

an apple a day

You are busy. I am busy. But, I want you to do this with me. I'm serious. This is your life, people.

Go to your fridge and get an apple. Or some simple food that you eat all the time. Let me rephrase that...some simple food that you scarf all the time while doing a million other things. I eat an apple a day. I eat it while I am walking to class or browsing blogs or driving to the gym. I eat it and don't even notice I am eating it. When did I become so caught up in the go-go-go-go-go of life that I don't even notice an apple? If you are like me - you haven't noticed your 'apple' in quite some time.

So, go get your 'apple' and take it to a safe, quiet spot. Take it on your front porch and don't you dare take your cell phone with you or your ipod or ipad or whateverthef*ck.

Sit down and breathe. Breathe and eat that apple and take your time. Don't worry the dishes can wait and your lecture preparation can wait and your facebooktwitterpinterest accounts can wait. Eat that apple so slowly it makes you a little uncomfortable. THINK about it. Look around. Listen to the freakin' birds.  Look at the sky. Take slow bite after slow bite and chew each completely. Think about how it tastes, where it came from, and what it is doing for your body. And, when you finish, don't get up immediately. Pause and realize the power of what you just did. 

What you just did, my friends - was took an old fashioned quiet, calm moment for yourself. I'm going to try and take more of these. I think we probably all NEED to have more of these moments. Let's break the go-go-go more often. I challenge you to do the same. It takes 10 tiny minutes and I guarantee you - it will change your day. And maybe, just maybe in the long run, it will change your life.

what i ate wednesday: issue 67

 Figure 1. Breakfast: A different view of the same beautiful breakfast. All Bran + puffed wheat + banana +  cocoa powder + milk.

Figure 2. Morning snack: two blurry balls - oatmeal peanut butter snack balls, to be exact.

Figure 3. Lunch: chocolate vanilla peanut butter protein green smoothie. 

Figure 4. Afternoon snack: an apple and cocoa-dusted almonds.

Figure 5. Dinner: two slices of Ezekiel sprouted grains toast - one topped with smashed avocado and kosher salt and one topped with leftover grilled corn, mushroom, and roasted poblano taco topping with chipotle crema. On the side I made a warm Brussels sprouts salad with sesame seeds. I love my veggies!

Figure 6. Dessert: boston cream pie sugar free pudding with whipped cream.

And that concludes another What I Ate Wednesday (featuring what I ate Tuesday, February 5).

weekend review: kardashians > super bowl

Figure 1. In the crock pot: crock pot spinach lasagna. Some things, my dear friends, were just not meant to be made in the crock pot. I fear lasagna may be one of them...

Figure 2. Friday night's dinner: crock pot spinach lasagna and a spinach salad with honey Dijon vinaigrette. This poor lasagna turned out dry - either my crock pot is super powerful (I turned it off after 5 hours as the recipe called for) - or lasagna is just better suited for the oven.

Figure 3. Saturday night's dinner: almond crusted tilapia, sharp cheddar yogurt cornbread, and caramelized Brussels sprouts. Everything about this meal was 100% delicious!

Figure 4. Sunday night's appetizer spread for the Super Bowl?: blue corn chips and salsa, raw veggies with roasted garlic Greek yogurt dip (delicious).

Figure 5. Sunday night's dinner: grilled corn, mushroom, and roasted poblano tacos with chipotle crema. The boyfriend and I ate this Mexican-inspired feast with the intentions to watch the Super Bowl - even if just for the commercials. This quickly turned into watching the Kardashians Take Miami and Rachel and Guy's Celebrity Cook Off. Win.

Figure 6. Sunday night's sweet treat: perfect brownies for two. Or, as it turned out, mostly for me...